Cigarette makers



April 3, 1956 w BROWN r AL CIGARETTE MAKERS Filed Nov. 28, 1952 I NV E NTORS Wil/iam R Brown CIGARETTE MAKERS t illiam R. Brown and William Lawrence, Toronto, On-

tario, Canada, assignors to V-Master Limited, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application November 28, 1952, Serial No. 322,908

Claims. (Cl. 131-51) This invention relates to improvements in cigarette makers and the principal object of this invention .to enable the diameter of the cigarette being rolled .to be accurately controlled. A further important object is to enable a cigarette maker to roll the desired size .of

cigarette independent of stretching of the flexible apron by means of which the cigarettes are rolled to provide amore useful device than heretofore having an extended life of operation.

Still a further object is to provide a cigarette maker .as aforesaid of simplified construction.

The principal feature of the invention resides in clamp- .ing the flexible apron by means of which the cigarettes .are rolled between two points which are relatively movable to control the size of the apron loop adapted to be received in the cigarette-forming pocket, to .thereby control the cigarette diameter for a given compactness of .the tobacco.

A further important feature resides in forming the platform of the maker, over which the cigarettes are rolled and end guides which support the spindle which operates the loop of the flexible apron over the platform, as a unitary casting to provide a simple and rugged construction.

Still a further feature resides in forming the casting with the means to enable separation of the points of clamping of the flexible apron to be adjusted.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a broken plan view of a cigarette maker according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional 'view'through the maker for one size of the cigarette forming loop.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the points of clamping of the apron separated to decrease the size of the flexible loop.

Figure 4 is a perspective view broken away of the platform and one of the end guides.

Figure 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view broken away showing an alternative form of adjustment for the size of the cigarette forming loop or pocket.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view partly broken away of the device of Figure 5.

It is common practice to provide cigarette makers in which a flexible apron is clamped between two points which permit of a loop of the apron to be introduced into a cigarette forming pocket. The loop then receives a charge of tobacco and a spindle or operator is arranged to engage a bight of the loop on the underside of the apron to provide a rolling action by the apron to form the tobacco into a cylinder and then to roll same onto a paper.

The size of the loop in the cigarette forming apron is set by the manufacturer for a given diameter of cigarette which in many instances cannot be changed except by over-packing or under-packing the loop to produce an undesirable cigarette.

Further, as the flexible apron material stretches under form I are turned downwardly and 2,740,408 "Patented Apr. 3, 1956 pendent of its stretching.

With reference first to Figures 1 to 4, the cigarette maker disclosed comprises a transverse platform 1 extending between side plates 2, with these parts in the device shown being cast integral. The edges 3 of the platthe sideplates 2 project above and beyond the platform '1 and are formed with a longitudinal slot 4 which extends above .the platform and beyond its edges 3.

Forwardly of the slot 4 and the platform 1 each of the 'side plates 2 is provided with an, orifice '5, and below this orifice with an arcuate slot 6 concentric with the orifice. At the end of each plate 2 forwardly of the platform 1 are pivotal lugs 7 while at the opposite end a foot 8 is provided. The lugs 7 enable the maker to be pivoted to a base 9 which preferably is constituted by a cigarette cutting device such as shown in United States application Serial Number 202,454 of December Mounted between the platesl .on pivots constituted by a pivot rod '10 extending through the orifices 5 into the space therebetween and being perpendicular to the plates 2 is a bar 11 having a depending portion 12.

Extending through the arcuate slots "6 and engaging the depending .portion .12 areclamping screws 13 to clamp the bar 11 in infinitely various angular positions through out the .range of adjustment defined by the arcuate slots 6, as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Overlying the platform 1 is a flexible apron 14, which maybe of rubber, cloth or other suitable fabric, and this apron is clamped to the. rear edge of the platform 1 by a clamping 'bar 15 and to the upper surface of the "bar 11 by a clampingbar '16. The apron 14 .is of a size 'to provide a loop '17 adapted to be introduced into .the

forming fpocket provided by the space between the forward edge of the platform 1 and the bar 11.

Beneath the apron 14 is a spindle 18 which is adapted for both translation and rotation on the trackway formed by the slots 4 in the side plates 2, the spindle projecting through these slots and carrying at each end knurled knobs 19.

The cigarette is formed in the usual manner by placing a charge of shredded tobacco in the loop 17 with the spindle in its position of Figure 2. Then by drawing and rolling the spindle towards the rear of the platform 1 the tobacco is rolled into a cylindrical core. A paper is placed on the apron overlying the platform 1 and by continued movement of the spindle 18 the tobacco charge can be rolled on the paper and the cigarette completed.

In the device illustrated the platform 1 and bar 11 are of extended form to enable a plurality of cigarettes to be rolled as a single length in a single pass of the spindle, and this extended cigarette form may then be severed into the standard cigarette sizes.

To control the diameter of the cigarette being rolled for a given compactness of the tobacco the bar 11 is to maintain the desired size of loop 17 which governs the cigarette diameter.

Figures and 6 illustrate an alternative form of the invention in which the bar 20, corresponding to the bar 11, comprises a channel having a wooden bar insert 21 and end plates 22 which are adapted to be pivoted at 23 to a base 9'. The side walls or plates 2' corresponding to the plates 2 have their forward ends inturned as at 24 and carried by these ends 24 are operating screws 25 held in position by lock washers 26 and operating through the wall of the channel bar 2%.

Above the channel bar the sides 2' are formed with inwardly punched bosses 27 which engage and guide the upper surface of the bar 20 as it is moved towards and away from the inturned ends 24 by the screws 25. Additionally the sides 2' are formed with slots 28 through which pass the clamping screws 29 carried by the end plates 22 to enable the bar 20 to be clamped in the various positions to which it is adjusted by the oper' ating screws 29.

Thus by movement of bar 20 the loop 17 of the apron 14' can be controlled to regulate the size or diameter of the cigarette being rolled on the platform 1'.

It will be understood that variations in the details of construction may be made Within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a cigarette maker or the like, a longitudinal platform, a spindle mounted to roll above and beyond said platform, a flexible apron overlying said platform and spindle, a longitudinal bar spaced from and extending parallel to one edge of said platform and presenting a surface to which one edge of said apron is clamped,

means clamping the opposite edge of said apron in front of said platform, pivot means mounted between two supporting end plates supporting said bar for infinite adjustment of the position of said bar surface over a range of adjustment, said pivot being spaced from said bar to continuously maintain said bar parallel to said platform edge, and screw means for setting said bar in adjusted position.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which said screw means comprises a screw carried by said bar on the side of said axis opposite to said bar surface, a member fixed relative to said platform and having an arcuate slot through which said screw extends, said screw being operable to clamp said bar to said fixed member in adjusted positions.

3. In a cigarette maker or the like a longitudinal platform, a spindle mounted to roll above and beyond said platform, a flexible apron overlying said platform and spindle, a longitudinal bar mounted between two supporting end plates, said bar being spaced from and extending parallel to one edge of said platform and presenting a surface to which one end of said apron is clamped, and means clamping the opposite edge of said apron in front of said platform, said bar being carried by a member fixed relative to said platform and means on said bar slidably interlocking with said fixed member to move relative thereto while parallel to said platform edge, and screw means comprising a screw operating through said fixed member and threadably engaging said bar to move said bar relative to said fixed surface.

4. A platform having end plates extending forwardly and rearwardly of said platform, slots in said end plates above said platform and extending beyond the edge of said platform, bar means extending between said end plates and spaced from one edge of said platform and extending parallel to said platform, a spindle mounted in said slots for rotational and translational movement across said platform, a flexible apron overlying said platform and spindle and secured to said bar means and to said platform at the edge thereof remote from said bar means, said apron being adapted to enter the space between said platform and said bar means with the spindle adjacent said bar means, a pivot rod mounted on the said end plates and extending in the space therebetween, the said pivot rod being perpendicular to the said plates, and said bar means being supported on said pivot of said end plates and being infinitely adjustable over a range of adjustment on a path maintaining said bar means continuously parallel to said platform to adjust the size of said loop.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4 in which said end plates are formed with arcuate slots concentric with said pivot and said bar carries screw clamping means operating through said slots.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

